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Title character Antonia Shimerda is introduced to the reader and the narrator when she can say only one phrase of English: "We go Black Hawk, Nebraska." On a seemingly endless train ride across a young United States, Bohemian immigrant Antonia and her family meet recently orphaned Virginia-born Jim Burden for the first time. He tells the story of the Shimerdas and his friend Antonia now as a middle aged man, illustrating his respect for the prairie and the woman who embodies it.
My Antonia is a story for the most part told about the youthful years of a select group of opinionated, hardworking, and brave souls. It is unique, and an especially intriguing read for teens, because the novel is told as a bittersweet memory from an old man. The story might make a reader realize that you may actually look back fondly on some of those pop tests or speeding tickets. "The best days, " quotes Cather on the beginning page, "are the first to flee."
My Antonia defies the outline of most novels in that its two main characters are a man and a woman who do not fall in love. It's so refreshing to hear truth in a time when everything has a sugarcoating. This book shows that it is ok to write about life and heartache. Yet while giving us a look at hard life, Willa Cather still manages to portray the benefits of hard work and strong love.
When I finished this book, I realized how many lessons I had learned about life. For instance, life may be difficult, but it's the good times that make us stronger. I realized also that, because the pace of the book is not fast or furious, it allows the reader to sit back and reflect on what the author is trying to express. I believe that Cather did an excellant job of portraying the meaning of this story. She has shown that a pure heart may often be broken, but it will always find a way to be content.
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~* Mikisha Anne ...
The book is filled with clear examples of the author's points, and her theories are backed up with documentation.
Cleopatra comes across as a very human "character" whose actions can be interpretted in many ways, depending on who is telling the story.
Lucy Hughes Hallett gives the reader several "historical" Clepatras, ranging from a "Nile vamp" to a romantic heroine dying for love. The author stresses the point that various periods in history have used the Cleopatra legend for different purposes, everything from instilling national pride to selling shampoo.
The book in no way presents a one-sided version of the queen's story. If anything the reader is presented wth an array of contradictory elements and allowed to pick and choose the ones he wants to incorporate into his own version of Cleopatra.
I found the book well written, intelligent and thought provoking.
Likewise, when, in the next chapter, Hughes-Hallett describes the images Cleopatra used to promote herself, we learn more about the religion and society surrounding Cleopatra than any specific biographical information.
The book moves on through history: Cleopatra in Shakespeare, for instance. It is not a biography, and Hughes-Hallett makes it quite clear that it is not meant to be a biography. What we know about Cleopatra is very little. Instead Hughes-Hallett's book explores what Cleopatra has meant to the different ages in which her myth and story have been told. Like many famous women throughout history, she has been both villified and romanticized.
I would rank Hughes-Hallett's book with Marina Warner's From the Beast to the Blond (although it is not as erudite) for its exploration of story and history and how the two mix together.
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When the book begins, you are taken into Jane's childhood, and given a sense of what it's like to have no love, and no hope of the future. You can actually see the pain on Jane's face. Then at Lowood, you learn with her, and grow with her. Finally, on the night she arrives at Thornfield Hall you are overcome with anticipation for Jane. What is this life going to be like? Then when Edward Rochester appears, you hate him. You can't believe that he talks to her that way. After a while though, things soften, and Miss Bronte introduces a new feeling. Love. The painting seems complete when Jane and Mr. Rochester confess their feelings, and you wonder, what could possibly be better than this? The ending,(which I won't give away)is absolutely breathtaking. I cried for a half an hour when I read it. It was at four in the morning mind you,(the book was so good I could not put it down.)
The characters in the novel are whole, they seem like real people. Charlotte Bronte uses her pen to paint a wonderful picture, one can not help but be engulfed in the color. The book has lasted almost 200 years, I see no reason why it could not last forever. If you ever want to read a classic love story that defines the power of women in literature, then Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is it. I'm 16 years old, and if a teenager can be moved to tears while reading, it must be quite a piece of literature. I walked away feeling like I had taken an amazing journey, and found a new friend in Jane Eyre.